Dec. 15: Lee signs a five-year, $120 million guaranteed contract with the Philadelphia Phillies, with a sixth-year vesting option of $27.5 million.

Dec. 18: Rangers sign OF Endy Chavez.

Jan. 3: Rangers sign Brandon Webb and Arthur Rhodes to one-year contracts. Webb re-injures his surgically repaired right shoulder, never making a major-league start. Rhodes is released Aug. 8, signing with St. Louis three days later.

Jan. 25: Rangers trade Francisco and cash for Mike Napoli. Four days earlier, Napoli was traded along with Juan Rivera from the Los Angeles Angels to Toronto for Vernon Wells. Rangers had tried to acquire Napoli from Angels, but discussions went nowhere.

Jan. 27: Ryan says Young will be Rangers' DH on opening day.

Feb. 6: Disenchanted with Rangers' off-season moves, which included discussions with DHs on the market, Young asks for a trade, later saying he's been "misled and manipulated" and "sick of it."

Feb. 16: Spring training starts. Young reports with position players three days later.

March 4: Daniels agrees to four-year contract extension through 2015.

March 11: Greenberg resigns, forced out by co-chairmen Bob Simpson and Ray Davis, his 1 percent ownership stake absorbed by the general partnership. Ryan adds title of CEO.

March 23-24: A pair of frank discussions between Young and Daniels seem to clear the air, allowing Young's situation to become less of a distraction. Young would play in all but three regular-season games -- including 90 starts in the field at four different positions – making the All-Star team and leading the Rangers in hits, doubles, batting average, and RBIs.

March 25: After months of deliberation, Rangers management decides to keep Neftali Feliz in the bullpen as the closer. Feliz saves 32 games in the regular season.

April 1: Rangers open 2011 season with win over Boston.

April 2: Ian Kinsler becomes first major-league player to hit leadoff HRs in team’s first two games.

April 5: Alexi Ogando gets his first major-league start, moving into the rotation after Tommy Hunter goes on the DL after straining his groin in spring training. Ogando shines immediately -- pitching six shutout innings. He goes 9-3 with a 2.92 ERA in the first half, named to the All-Star team.

April 11: With back-to-back shutouts by Derek Holland and Ogando, Rangers tie franchise-best for 10-game start, going 9-1 to start the season.

April 12: Hamilton fractures humerus at top of right arm in head-first slide at home plate, trying to score on a foul pop. Hamilton misses more than a month.

May 21: Lee outduels Colby Lewis as Rangers lose at Phillies, 2-0. The loss drops record to 23-23, the last time Rangers are at .500. Rangers never dip below .500 all season.

June 8: Scott Coolbaugh takes over as hitting coach for Bosley. Rangers hit 30 points higher and score nearly a run more per game under Coolbaugh.

July 1: Mitch Moreland starts a three-month swoon going 0-4 in 15-5 win over Florida, striking out and grounding into a double play. Moreland posts .285 OBP for the final three months.

July 7: Brownwood firefighter Shannon Stone falls to his death from left-field stands, after tumbling over a railing while reaching for a ball thrown into the stands by Josh Hamilton.

July 14: Derek Holland pitches his second straight shutout, a 5-0 win at Seattle. Holland goes 9-1 after the All-Star break, setting career marks in wins, ERA, strikeouts and tying the AL lead with four shutouts.

July 19: Ryan is released from a Houston hospital, after undergoing a series of heart-related tests after feeling discomfort at his home on July 17. The same day, Rangers win their 11th straight game, a 7-0 win at Angels.

July 22: Beltre leaves 12-2 win over Toronto with a strained left hamstring, placed on the DL the following day. Beltre -- off to a standout start, the only player to start in the Rangers’ first 100 games -- would miss 38 of the final 62 games.

July 31: Rangers acquire RHP Mike Adams from San Diego for two minor-league prospects.

Aug. 18-25: Over seven days, Rangers lead in AL West dwindles from seven to two games. Rangers lose three straight to close out a home series with Boston from Aug. 23-25, the last time the team would lose consecutive games until the World Series.

Sept. 10: An 8-7 loss to Oakland cuts the Rangers' lead in AL West to 1.5 games.

Sept. 21: Win at Oakland is eighth in nine-game span, while Angels go 5-5 over that stretch.

Sept. 24: Rangers clinch AL West title with 7-3 win over Seattle ace Feliz Hernandez. Ogando starts, but pitches only two innings, foreshadowing his move to the bullpen for the playoffs.

Sept. 28: Napoli’s two home runs help Rangers 3-1 win, capping a three-game road sweep of the Angels. Rangers finish at franchise-best 96-66, a season-high 10 games up in the AL West, and lock up home-field advantage over Detroit for the ALDS.

Sept. 30: Rangers open playoffs with 9-0 loss to Tampa Bay, as C.J. Wilson surrenders three HRs and six earned runs in five innings.

Oct. 3: A four-run seventh -- on a two-run HR by Napoli and two-run single by Hamilton -- help Rangers to a 4-3 Game 3 win over Tampa Bay, going up 2-1 in series.

Oct. 4: Rangers win ALDS, beating Tampa Bay, 4-3, on the strength of four solo HRs -- including three by Beltre, tying a record for HRs in a postseason game.

Oct. 10: Nelson Cruz hits two HRs, including first walk-off grand slam in postseason history, as Rangers win Game 2 in 11 innings.

Oct. 12: Cruz continues his postseason heroics in 7-3 Game 4 win, putting Rangers up 3-1 in series. Cruz throws out Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera at the plate in eighth inning of tied game, then hits a three-run HR -- his fourth of the series -- in the 11th inning.

Oct. 13: Detroit stays alive with 7-5 win in Game 5, as Wilson allows three home runs. Cruz hits fifth HR of series.

Oct. 15: Rangers win ALCS with 15-5 win, becoming the first AL team other than the Yankees to win back-to-back pennants since Toronto in 1992-93. Rangers break the game open with nine-run third. Cruz, who hits his record-setting sixth HR of the series, is named MVP.

Oct. 19: St. Louis wins Game 1 of World Series on sixth-inning RBI single off Ogando down the right-field line by pinch-hitter Allen Craig. Wilson loses his third game in playoffs, walking six batters.

Oct. 20: Rangers score twice in ninth off of sacrifice flies by Hamilton and Young to win in Game 2, 2-1. Feliz walks the leadoff hitter in the ninth, but gets two strikeouts and a game-ending pop out by Rafael Furcal.

Oct. 22: St. Louis’ Albert Pujols ties a major-league record with three HRs in the World Series, going 5 for 6 with 6 RBIs in a 16-7 shelling of Rangers in Game 3.

Oct. 23: Holland allows two hits over 8 1/3 innings, and Napoli hits a three-run HR in the sixth, as Rangers win Game 4, 4-0, and tie World Series up at 2-2.

Oct. 24: Napoli breaks a tied game by driving in two runs in the eighth, as Rangers take a 3-2 World Series lead with a 4-2 Game 5 win. St. Louis leaves 12 runners on base, as Cardinals hit 1 for 12 with runners in scoring position.

Oct. 27: St. Louis stays alive with a 10-9 11th inning win in Game 6, with 3B David Freese hitting a solo home run in the 11th off of reliever Mark Lowe. Rangers blow five different leads, including three-run lead in the eighth. Feliz allows a two-out, two-strike, two-run triple to Freese in the ninth, as Cardinals tie the game. Hamilton hits a two-run HR in the 10th, but Darren Oliver allows the first two Cardinals to reach in the bottom of the inning. Scott Feldman intentionally walks Pujols with two outs to get to Lance Berkman -- who the Rangers tried to acquire from St. Louis when the Cardinals appeared out of the playoff race. Rangers again are one strike away, as Berkman falls behind in the count, 1-2, before hitting the game-tying single, setting up Freese’s heroics in the 11th.

Oct. 28: St. Louis wins its 11th World Series title, as the Cardinals win Game 7, 6-2. Rangers take a 2-0 lead in the first, off a two-run double by Young, but strand six runners after that point, going 1 for 9 with runners in scoring position. Harrison surrenders the lead in bottom of first, off a two-run double by Freese. St. Louis ace Chris Carpenter gets his second win in three starts in the series, and the Cardinals bullpen holds the Rangers without a hit in the final three innings. Freese is named the World Series MVP.